16 January 2009

(The Met's) once-mighty endowment of more than $300 million has dropped by a third, to a point where it cannot be drawn from; donations are down by $10 million this season; and ticket sales are expected to be off by several million dollars from what was expected, Mr. Gelb said in an interview.

Mr. Gelb said that he and senior staff members have taken a 10 percent pay cut and that the rest of the staff would do so at the end of the fiscal year, which concludes after the season. He said at least four expensive productions have been canceled or replaced next season as well.

Another potential good news: the recession may also force the Met to reinstate some subscriber perks lost this season, including free and instant ticket exchanges upon signing up for full subscriptions. And perhaps another: we may not see a line this crazy for a number of years. (I was there.)